1975-76 NHL season
The 1975-76 NHL season was the 59th season of the National Hockey League. Eighteen teams each played 80 games. This season also marked the final time that Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television in Canada would air radio broadcasts of games, with HNIC moving exclusively to television the next season. Regular season The Montreal Canadiens set records in wins with 58 and points with 127, beginning a four-year stretch where they dominated the league in the regular season and win four straight Stanley Cup titles. The Philadelphia Flyers tied the record set by the 1929–30 Boston Bruins for most consecutive home ice wins, with 20. During the regular season, between December 28 and January 10, "Super Series '76" took place as two teams from the Soviet Championship League played eight exhibitions against NHL teams. HC CSKA Moscow (the "Red Army Club"), defending Soviet champion, played against the New York Rangers, Montreal, Boston and, on January 11, the defending NHL champion, the Philadelphia Flyers, while Krylya Sovetov Moscow ("the Soviet Wings") played against Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago and the New York Islanders. The blockbuster trade of the year saw the Boston Bruins send superstar center Phil Esposito and star defenceman Carol Vadnais to the New York Rangers for star center Jean Ratelle and superstar defenceman Brad Park. Both Ratelle and Park excelled for the Bruins for years to come, while Esposito's days as the preeminent scorer in the NHL were behind him. On February 7, 1976, Darryl Sittler set an NHL record that still stands for most points scored in one game. He recorded 10 points (six goals, four assists) against the Boston Bruins. Final standings Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold Prince of Wales Conference Clarence Campbell Conference Scoring leaders Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points Leading goaltenders Stanley Cup playoffs Playoff bracket Finals The two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, once again made it to the finals, but were swept in four games by the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers NHL awards All-Star teams Debuts The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1975-76 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): *Willi Plett, Atlanta Flames *Dennis Maruk, California Golden Seals *Bob Murray, Chicago Blackhawks *Doug Jarvis, Montreal Canadiens *Doug Risebrough, Montreal Canadiens *Mario Tremblay, Montreal Canadiens *Bryan Trottier, New York Islanders *Mel Bridgman, Philadelphia Flyers Last games The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1975-76 (listed with their last team): *Gary Bergman, Kansas City Scouts *Bryan Hextall Jr., Minnesota North Stars *Chico Maki, Chicago Blackhawks *Bob Nevin, Los Angeles Kings *Mickey Redmond, Detroit Red Wings *Bill White, Chicago Blackhawks *Terry Crisp, Philadelphia Flyers *Andre Boudrias, Vancouver Canucks *Tommy Williams, Washington Capitals See also * List of Stanley Cup champions * 1975 NHL Amateur Draft * 29th National Hockey League All-Star Game * National Hockey League All-Star Game * List of WHA seasons References *Hockey Database *NHL.com